


Down the Street

by that_one_internet_lover



Series: Kid Pricefield Stories [1]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, LGBTQ Themes, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2019-03-21 11:23:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13739841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/that_one_internet_lover/pseuds/that_one_internet_lover
Summary: Young Chloe has a surprise for her best friend. Or maybe it's a dare.





	Down the Street

**Author's Note:**

> Farewell will be releasing soon and I'm not ready at all, so to cope, I wrote a little one-shot. I love the idea of young Pricefield so it made sense to write about them as kids.

They rode in silence, the sound of their wheels filling the empty space. There was the familiar whoosh of Chloe’s skateboard and the creaking and clattering of Max’s bike. Again, Chloe’s foot pushed against the concrete, letting her zip forward.

“Slow down! Do you even know where we’re going?” Max finally called. She pedaled harder, trying to catch up. 

“Nope!” Chloe chirped without turning around. Her foot hovered above the sidewalk again, but she waited until Max had caught up. They stopped at the corner of the sidewalk. 

Max pursed her lips, then crossed her arms. “Then tell me what your big surprise is.” 

“Doesn’t that ruin the surprise?” Chloe asked, her eyebrows raised. 

“Look, all you said was you wanted to try something new, and you weren’t gonna be the one trying the new thing. As far as the laws of logic go, that’s fricking impossible.” 

“Sure it’s possible!” Chloe retorted. “‘Cause I may not be the one doing it, but it’s still gonna be a new experience for me! And for you, too.” 

“Oh, right. Because pranking me is totally a new experience for you.” 

“This isn’t a prank, Max. I promise.” 

“Then will I like this surprise?” 

“That… really depends on you. Let’s just keep going.” 

They set off again, riding in silence. Finally Max asked, “Were you looking for somewhere specific before?” 

“Not really, just an empty road we could use,” Chloe answered. 

Max eased off the pedals, dragging her foot along the road until she stopped. After getting off her bike and placing it on its side at the corner of the sidewalk, she adjusted her helmet, mopping the sweat off her forehead, and surveyed the road. 

“Well, in that case, why not here?” She asked. 

“Good enough for me,” Chloe replied. She picked up her board, then walked around until she was facing Max. There was a pause, then a smack of wheels against concrete. Max glanced down at Chloe’s skateboard, dropped expectantly between them. 

“Well Max… surprise!” Chloe announced. 

Max felt her stomach lurch. A new experience for Chloe, and her not the one doing it? _That’s_ what she meant? 

“This isn’t a prank,” Max finally managed to mutter, her voice almost shaky. “It’s far worse.” 

With that, Chloe burst out laughing. Max was glowering instantly. 

“Oh, you are adorable, Maxine,” Chloe giggled, which only made Max fume even more. 

“Max, never Maxine. And it’s official, my best friend’s plotting to kill me.” 

“At least get on the board! Don’t be scared just because you managed to trip over your shoelaces while they were still tied.” 

Max could tell Chloe was suppressing a grin recalling that day, and she scowled in response. 

“You suck! They were clearly terrible shoes,” Max retaliated. 

“Then tell your shoes to go fuck themselves if you’re so well-coordinated. You can stand on a skateboard, dude.” 

“For the record, you ultra-suck, Chloe. And you’re paying for my inevitable hospital bills,” Max shot back, before looking down at the board. 

“Oh trust me, if I get you injured, I’m never hearing the end of it from Mom and Dad. You’ll be fine, Max. I’m not gonna let you fall off.” 

Chloe coughed not-so-subtly into her fist as she mumbled, “Besides, what kind of injury can you get from going five miles an hour—” 

“ _Alright,_ ” Max said with an eye-roll. She placed one foot on the board and it rolled under her weight. Immediately she sucked in a breath through her teeth, jerking her leg away as if the skateboard was made of lava. 

She sighed, looked up, and asked, “Uh, so how do you get on?” 

Chloe did a mock groan of exasperation. “Ugh, you need me to hold your hand through everything!” With that, she took a half step forward, bowed her head, and extended her hands, palms up. 

“Was that a pun?” was the first thing out of Max’s mouth. 

Chloe grinned up at Max, her head still bowed regally. “Just take my hands.” 

_Was that…_ Max wanted to say, but couldn’t get the words out. Instead, she placed her right foot on the board again, but this time she lowered her hands into Chloe’s open palms. They clasped naturally, Chloe keeping a firm, secure grip near Max’s wrists. Max hopped onto the board with Chloe still holding on tight. 

“Hey,” Chloe said with a lopsided smile. 

“Hi,” Max replied, because she didn’t know what else to say. 

“Look, we’re the same height now. Not counting your helmet, of course.” Chloe noted. On top of the skateboard, Max stood, lined up perfectly with Chloe. Eye to eye. 

Then Max stayed like that for probably two minutes. She teetered on the board, still as a statue, breathing shallowly through her nostrils. 

But it wasn’t just the nerves keeping her from speaking. Still, it wasn’t like they’d never held hands before. Chloe would pull Max along by the hand when she got impatient and Max would do the same to Chloe when she spotted the perfect photo op. But Max wasn’t sure if they could keep this up forever. They weren’t little kids anymore— there was no ignoring how tall Chloe was now, how easily she swore (and tossed dollars into the swear jar), or how she’d dropped hints about applying to Blackwell for high school of all places. There was a shifting kind of energy between them now. 

The board trembled and Max tried to breathe. Heat prickled all over her scalp, her face so warm she was convinced her hair would catch fire any second. Was she ready for Chloe to let go? Did she even want Chloe to let go? 

Or maybe she was just overthinking yet again and this meant nothing at all. It was nearly impossible to tell with Chloe. She had always been huggy and affectionate and Max loved that, almost too much. Every time they embraced, Max melted into Chloe’s arms with such ease, but holding hands on a skateboard? Now that was different. 

“Dude.” It was Chloe, waiting expectantly. “You can do this, alright?” 

Max couldn’t reply because she knew that she was absolutely sweating right into Chloe’s hands by this point and the thought only made her face grow warmer still. _Grossgrossgross,_ she thought frantically. _You’re grossing her out. Say something. Make small talk!_

“I’M SORRY!” Max burst out. 

“What? For what?” Chloe looked up then with genuine alarm in her eyes. “Oh no. Did you spill wine on the carpet again?” 

“I’m _sweating!_ ” 

Chloe blinked, then shrugged. “I mean, yeah, it’s like, 80 degrees or something—” 

“No, I’m sweating all over you, and it’s gross, and I’m gross and Chloe why did you talk me into this I’m so uncool I can’t ride a skateboard! What the hell Chloe?” 

“Whoa, hey. Just take a breath, okay?” 

“Fine,” Max managed to say. Chloe waited while Max breathed in and out several times. 

“For the record, I may ultra-suck, but I think you’re uber-cool,” Chloe said quietly. 

Max grimaced, mumbling, “Chloe, I’m sorry if I offended you back there. I just don’t think you realize how scary new things can be for me.” 

“Maybe I don’t, but I know you can do this. And I’m here to guide you.” 

A tiny smile bloomed on Max’s face. “I know,” was all she said. 

Chloe returned the smile, then waited until Max’s breathing had returned to normal, and asked, “Alright. You ready to try riding? I won’t force you to do anything if you’re not comfortable.” 

“I’m ready.” 

“Okay, so the key to riding a skateboard is that when you push off, your foot goes from facing sideways to facing forwards. So try pushing off with your left foot.” 

Chloe stepped back, stretching her arms out, and said, “I’m gonna let go now, okay?” 

Max nodded, and then she was wobbling alone on the board, eyes still glued to the ground. 

“Max,” Chloe called, now several feet away. “After you push off, turn your feet sideways again. Try to push harder so you don’t have to keep turning back and forth.” 

Max nodded mutely again. She slid on her heels, trying not to lift her feet, as she awkwardly shuffled into a forwards position. She stood as if she were on a balance beam, turning back to look at Chloe. 

“So, just push off?” Max asked shakily. 

“Whenever you’re ready,” Chloe affirmed with a thumbs-up. 

Max lowered her left foot onto the road. She breathed in, out, and then gave one strong push. The board instantly rolled forward, Max still standing on one foot. She managed a single yelp of terror. 

“That’s it! Now turn sideways!” Chloe called, speedwalking slightly behind her. 

Letting Chloe’s voice ground her, Max’s trembling foot connected with the board again, then her right heel jerked ninety degrees so her feet were both sideways. Still feeling unstable, she bent her knees and held her arms out sideways. Max dared to raise her head, watching as she miraculously passed a mailbox. Then, she felt her shallow gasps of fear level out. Then, they dissolved into disbelieved, short laughs. She almost felt giddy, coasting down the empty road. 

_Wowser,_ she thought. _Am I actually doing this?_ She almost wished she'd brought her camera along to capture the moment. 

Max didn’t have to push off again, but she found herself turning, less haltingly this time. Her left foot dug into the road, and the board gained a new burst of speed. The wind almost swallowed her laughs of delight. She passed another mailbox. Then another. Max practically pivoted on her toes the third time, pushing off twice before settling back onto the board in one smooth motion. The wheels gave that familiar _whoosh_ , rolling easily, except now Max was the one on the board. She could barely believe it. 

Behind her, Max could hear Chloe's pounding footsteps, who had broken into a run to keep up. She was cheering wildly, fists in the air, blond hair streaming behind her. 

“Go Super Max! Go go go!” Chloe shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth. 

Max hadn’t asked Chloe how to stop, so she didn’t push off again and instead focused on staying balanced as the board began to slow down. Chloe was too breathless to yell and kept jogging behind her. Max didn’t realize how hard she was breathing until the board finally rolled to a stop. Chloe ran up to her, grabbing her hands to let Max hop off. 

“I RODE DOWN THE STREET!” Max shouted, pumping her fist in the air. 

“YOU RODE DOWN THE STREET!” Chloe echoed, cheering and laughing. “See? I told you that you could at least stand on the board!” 

“Because you knew I could!” Max cried, and then hugged her. 

“Oh dude, you’re shaking,” Chloe laughed, her arms wrapped around Max’s shoulders. 

“It was still pretty scary,” Max said with a breathless laugh. “But thanks for getting me to skateboard. You are uber-cool, Chloe Price.” Max didn’t have to look at Chloe to know she was grinning from ear-to-ear.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I have more ideas and I wanted to turn them into a kid Pricefield series, so stay tuned!


End file.
